WASTED TALENT

Greg Oden stuffs one in
file photo.

It is like the 1980’s all over again for the Portland Trail Blazers. In the 1984 draft, Portland selected Sam Bowie of the University of Kentucky over North Carolina’s Michael Jordan with the second pick over-all. Two decades later, Jordan was hailed as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All-Time) while the 7-1 Bowie goes down in history as one of the biggest draft day busts. Bowie was bugged by various injuries throughout is career and never have the chance to reach his full potential as an NBA player. 

Fast forward to 2007, the Blazers had made Greg Oden of Ohio State University the top over-all pick of the draft (ahead of Kevin Durant of Texas, who is currently the Oklahoma City Thunder’s top gun and one of the favorites to win the MVP plum this year). The 7-0 center was being hailed as the second coming of Hall-of-Famer Bill Russell but after three years, he resembles more of Bowie. Oden missed the whole of his rookie year due to an injury, then came back to see action in 61 games the following season. Last season, Oden was limited once more to only 21 games due to another injury. He was expected to suit up soon for the Blazers this season until a new episode in his never-ending series of misfortune popped-up again recently. Oden will undergo another season-ending microfracture surgery in his left knee. The 22-year old, New York native is devasted anew. The Blazers Head Athletic Trainer Jay Jensen said they were all taken aback by this very sad news, according to The Oregonian.

“He doesn't deserve this. He's worked his tail off. It was like we all got kicked in the stomach. It was like someone close to us had died. We didn't know what to say. We were shocked.”